Journey of the Broken Circle Review

There’s something special about finding an indie game out of nowhere and being pleasantly taken by surprise at its quality. We live in a video game climate where many releases simply come and go without a peep, falling by the wayside as digital marketplaces across gaming platforms continue to be engorged with an abundance of games both good and bad each and every day. This means that many quality games get swamped and fly under the radar, with the few gamers that notice their fleeting beauty being the ones responsible for giving the game the voice and praise it deserves. The latest game I feel an obligation to bring to the fore in the minds of gamers is Journey of the Broken Circle, a simplistic 2D platformer that has a deep and meaningful story to tell.

On the surface, the story premise of Journey of the Broken Circle is simple. The main protagonist Circle is incomplete, looking more like a white Pac-Man than a proper circle. In order to be whole again (both physically and metaphorically), Circle sets out on a journey that sees them cross paths with numerous potential suitors on a quest to find their missing piece. While easy to explain in a simple summation, the story of Journey of the Broken Circle is much deeper than it initially appears, telling a thought-provoking tale about love, life, relationships and existentialism.

I feel that

The various characters that Circle meets along the way serve not only as individuals to interact with, but in many cases they will inhabit Circle’s void, which in turn will grant Circle new abilities to progress further on the journey for perfection. For example, early on in the piece Circle comes across Sticky, a talking seed who just wants to kick back and grow. Circle, not understanding Sticky’s desire to simply exist in one place quickly forces Sticky to accompany them on the journey, granting Circle the ability to stick to objects such as walls to aid in reaching otherwise unreachable areas. As in life, relationships you forge come and go in Journey of the Broken Circle, for reasons I won’t spoil in order to keep the sanctity of the narrative intact. In summary though, the story is fantastic.

Akin to how Thomas was Alone succeeded in characterising a bunch of squares and rectangles, Journey of the Broken Circle succeeds in a similar vein, providing solid characterisation to inanimate objects such as a circle, a seed, and even a balloon that quotes ABBA songs. Although easily comparable to Mike Bithell’s epic Thomas was Alone, Journey of the Broken Circle arguably feels more in the vein of 2018’s platforming gem Celeste. From the physical manifestation of angst and anxiety that haunts the protagonist to the journey of self discovery in the physical and metaphorical sense, the two titles share similarly impactful and engaging stories.

Even though the story and characters of Journey of the Broken Circle are the best aspects of the game, the gameplay isn’t bad by any stretch. As Circle, your goal is to clear numerous platforming levels as you journey for your missing piece. As mentioned, along the way you will form relationships with characters that grant you access to special abilities such as being able to stick to walls, fly and move at a much faster speed. Each level also has varying numbers of collectible mushrooms to find, which are often tucked away in hidden areas that require a keen eye.

The platforming feels decent, but don’t expect the sort of fluid platforming you’d get in a game like Celeste or Super Meat Boy. The same applies to the difficulty, with Journey of the Broken Circle a relatively stress-free platformer that wants its story to take top billing. While I respect the decision because of the quality of the narrative, I do wish that the platforming was a little more challenging overall.

Peaceful vibes

Gluttons for punishment however can rejoice in one of the two bonus levels that can be unlocked by collecting a certain amount of the aforementioned mushrooms. The first bonus level is inspired by the punishing climbing game Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, which sees you climbing up mountainous terrain equipped with only a hammer that you use to propel yourself upwards. It requires patience and precision to complete, something I wish I knew before I spent nearly an hour trying not to hurl my controller into the TV. The other bonus level sees you reunite with multiple companions from the main game, combining numerous abilities at once to collect stars throughout a larger maze-like level. These additional challenges do a solid job of providing experiences that vary from the core gameplay, offering up more enjoyable content to toy with after your journey is done.  

Final Thoughts

While it never truly challenges with insanely difficult or precise platforming (except in the patience testing Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy-inspired bonus level), Journey of the Broken Circle manages to remain a consistently enjoyable experience thanks largely to its surprisingly impactful narrative and simple yet solid gameplay. It’s a pretty, peaceful and solid three to five hour journey worth embarking on.

Reviewed on PS5 (PS4 version played) // Review code supplied by publisher

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